Teany’s Not-So-Teeny Lunch Tea Set

June 12, 2014

Oh, Teany. You’re one of the most well known vegan places around, as well as one of the trendiest. In truth, I kind of dislike that affiliation… I never became vegan because it was “in fashion,” but I guess anything that adds to our cause is a good thing, no?

I’ve had a love/hate relationship with teany since I first visited three years ago, back when the staff sucked and they microwaved EVERYTHING. Since then, I’ve purposely avoided them for a spell, and was glad to see that they finally got their act together. Not only do they not microwave their food now (it’s grilled and made to order), but they ‘ve hired all new, friendlier staff (bye bye Asian dragon lady!).

Cute and cozy interior!

I especially love the pillows in the booth seated areas.

They also have a slammin’ afternoon tea special for $18 a person or $34 for two… and seriously, it’s probably the BEST lunch special I’ve ever encountered in the city.

You get a whole pot of the tea of your choice, chosen from a ample binder of teas, which range in price from $4 – $7 in and of themselves, a scone that comes with fruit jam or dairy butter (no earth balance, waah), two sandwiches out of seven to choose from(three if you chose the 2 person set), and any of their many Vegan Treats-baked desserts. Did I mention you get dessert too?

Personally, I recommend going with a separate special for one person instead of the two-person one, since you get an extra sandwich for just $2.00 more.

Since I went with my friend Ronald, I was able to try a medley of different pastries and sandwiches all at once! Isn’t friendship the sweetest?

For my tea, I chose the Jasmine Black tea recommended by my waitress. It had a nice earthy flavor, and was true to its jasmine-y taste. I also sampled Ron’s Japanese Green tea, which I didn’t like as much since it was a bit bitter, but somehow, he was given a bigger teapot. No fair!

My Jasmine Black tea getting the steep treatment.Yummy Jasmine Tea!

Cranberry Almond Scone –

Two of my favorite things– cranberry and almonds!

I had the cranberry almond scone, which came with apricot jam. The scone was warm and filling, with a buttery, rich and biscuit-like texture that I really enjoyed. It tasted great with the jam, though I did wish they had vegan butter. But who wouldn’t like a fresh pot of tea with a buttery scone?

Ron’s cinnamon raisin scone wasn’t too shabby either, if you prefer that sort of scone. It kind of tasted like a cinna-raisin muffin to me.

Cinna-raisin scone

For my sandwiches, I chose the vegan Chicken Salad with mixed greens and the Apple Ham. I also shared half of a sandwich with Ron for the Avocado & Cream Cheese.

Isn’t the sandwich tray just darling?

Apple Ham –

My favorite sandwich is both sweet and salty!

This was my favorite sandwich out of the two, since it was simple, yet tasty. The sandwich had slices of tart Granny Smith apples in it, with a dab of Vegannaise and a few thick slices of vegan ham, which went great with the sourness of the apples.

Chicken Salad –

Blech– nothing worse than dry chicken salad.

The chicken salad itself was a bit dry and chunky, kind of like the consistency of chunk tuna without the tuna juice. If they had made the salad with a bit more Vegannaise, it would have definitely made a difference. To make it more flavorful, I added Chipotle hot sauce to it, which had a creamy texture, and that made it much yummier.

This sauce is the bomb-diggity!

*Note – the Chipotle hot sauce is the best choice out of the three – Tabasco & Sriracha are sauces that I have all the time, so I enjoyed trying something new! The waitress loved it too!

Avocado & Cream Cheese –

Two of the creamiest things slapped into a sandwich, mmm.

Straight up true to its moniker, this sandwich was pure avocado and cream cheesy-goodness (Tofutti, of course). I liked how it complemented my dry chicken salad sandwich, haha.

Just having one sandwich didn’t fill me up, though– I ended up eating a total of one and a half of my sandwiches, with a whole half leftover (guess which!), and I felt super bloated (don’t forget, I had a whole scone!). It was definitely a good value for $18!

But wait, the party wasn’t over yet– we still had a dessert to top it all off!

German Chocolate Coconut Cake –

Dry, and kind of disappointing. At least it looks good!

This cake wasn’t really my favorite. At first, I was enticed by the coconut coating and chocolate cake, but it ended up being pretty dry and dense. I was also still pretty full from the meal, so unless it was really THAT delicious, I don’t think I would have really enjoyed it. Still, I didn’t really like it just because it wasn’t moist as I had hoped.

Pumpkin Cheesecake –

Doesn’t that look pumpkin-y delish?

Ron’s choice was tastier than mine, but I’ve had it a million times. It was still tastier than my choice, though– it comes with a dollop of vegan white icing that goes perfect with the denseness of the cheesecake. Both cakes are kind of dry, so it helped that we still had about a half pot of our tea leftover to drink with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed this visit to Teany and walked away extremely full and satisfied, considering the cost and great service. What a difference a few years make!

Who is Vegan Chao?

Being vegan means so much more than just a diet. It's a way of life and though it can be tough, I'm here to give you tips, tricks and guidance on how to live a greener, leaner, kinder life, one carrot at a time!